Vocabulary

You may feel that you still have improvements to make in your English – business-focussed or English in general – in order to be fully successful at work. However, it’s not easy having a stressful job (or studying to get one) and having the time you need to dedicate to improving your English language skills. […]

Do you know the difference between ‘can’ and ‘be able to’? Well, to start with, ‘can’ is a modal verb, while ‘be able to’ is not. But what about usage? Let’s have a look: I can play the guitar I am able to play the guitar. Ability In these examples, they can be used in […]

Happy Birthday! One of the most commonly used expressions in English, and one of the easiest to recognize and use if you are a learner of the language. But it’s not very original, is it? Surely there are other ways in which you can say ‘Happy Birthday’ without saying ‘Happy Birthday’ if you know what […]

Everyone is looking, directly or indirectly, to increase their vocabulary in English. And because of the sheer number of words available in the English language (over one million), there isn’t anybody who knows every single one of them, let alone the expressions that we can add to that list. The English dictionary list is constantly […]

‘I just need more vocabulary.’ This is a typical comment from English learners. The idea is that it is vocabulary holding them back from reaching fluency. This may be true to an extent, but at that same time, it’s not totally accurate. The right kind of vocabulary is important to becoming fluent in English. As […]

‘As’ and ‘like’ are two little words that can cause all manner of problems. The reason? Because very occasionally they can be used the same way, but the vast majority of the time, despite having similar meanings, grammatically they must be used quite differently. Here are a few cases in point: As I said before, […]

Adjectives are incredibly useful words because they help us describe exactly what we are talking about. ‘I have a talkative, older sister and a shy, younger brother.’ With a few simple words, I have described in considerable detail my position in the family and the personality of my sister and brother. However, some adjectives are […]

Did you know that there is a Wikipedia article detailing the 100 most common words in English? As an English student, or someone who is actively trying to improve your English, it’s a nice challenge to check these 100 words to see how many you know (most probably all), but to then think carefully about […]

One of the most important places to be comfortable with English vocabulary is in the airport. While in your country, the signs and announcements may be in both your mother tongue and in English, in almost all other countries you will need to rely on your English vocabulary only. So, what are the most important […]

Eating out is a great way to spend your time, wherever you may be. However, if this is something that you are doing in English, when English is not your mother tongue, there can be a few things to watch out for. Vocabulary is one, custom and culture is another. Here are some important things […]